Because it bears repeating

[james_davis_nicoll]

Authors generally have very little control over the covers of their books.

Also, and I have to admit I've never actually heard anyone say this but the evidence appears to support this hypothesis, most publishers' art directors not only don't know any people who are visible minorities, they don't know about people who are visible minorities. This is probably because most major publishers are based in New York and if there's one thing Friends and Seinfeld taught me, New York is surprisingly monotone.

Comments

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

Wife used to work for an artificial flavors and fragrances multi-national. They had a taste-test lab for artificial strawberry flavors, and one of the choices nailed "sun-ripe wild strawberry" on the nose. She voted for that one.

That choice only got one vote in the poll.

[dd-b.livejournal.com]

I wonder what I would have voted tasting blind? In actual produce, real sun-ripe wild strawberries are amazingly much better than the normal agribusiness product.

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

They also had an artificial maple flavor that nailed pure maple syrup, including the "mouth feel" of the sugar. It lost out, but at least it got more than one vote.

[dd-b.livejournal.com]

One of my regular Christmas presents is real maple-sugar candy, and I'm still going through this year's box. Mmmmmm!

It's fascinating that they can make artificial flavors better than the ones they use. Depressing, but fascinating.

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

I think the "better" part is a question of what people have actually experienced -- more people have tasted pure maple syrup, which can be found in most grocery stores these days, than have ever encountered a wild strawberry. You pretty much have to hunt and gather those yourself.

And the number of people on taste-test panels who have met either One True Flavor seems to be a minority.

[dd-b.livejournal.com]

But I did not grow up on real wild strawberries, and yet instantly preferred them when I got the chance to sample them. (At a restaurant in Rome, actually, is the first time I know about; didn't even have to gather them myself.)

And in fact I grew up on "Log Cabin" syrup most of the time, and strongly preferred real maple syrup when I could get it.

At least for me, familiarity is very much not the issue.

Ah; did they by chance ask the people "which tastes most like real strawberries?" rather than "which tastes best"? That would make familiarity much more of an issue. And would probably be a stupid mistake, unless their experience with wording the question shows otherwise.